But back in 1974, The Boss and the as-yet-unnamed E Street Band played nine shows in a Long Beach Township garage.

In fairness, Le Garage — real name "Le Garage Discotheque Au Go-Go" — was actually a nightclub. Built in a converted garage by four entrepreneurs in their 20s, the club, located on 23rd Street in Spray Beach, also featured dancing girls in cages, black lighting and huge pictures plastered on the walls.

The building, owned by the Laputka family, had originally been used to service trucks and heavy equipment. The club was located across from the Spray Beach Yacht Club and Flo's (Bayside) Diner.

Run originally as a teen dance club, with live bands, from 1966 to 1972, Le Garage reopened in 1974 as a concert venue.

Springsteen and the band (they weren't officially billed as the E Street Band until the fall of 1974) were on tour supporting The Boss' second album, "The Wild, the Innocent & the E Street Shuffle," when they played at Le Garage.

But in spite of the critical acclaim garnered by the first two albums, Bruce and his bandmates remained relatively unknown, even in Long Beach Township, which is only about 60 miles from Asbury Park.

Writing on the LBI.net site about Le Garage in 2012, Walt Beadling recalled: "I'd never heard of the guy before. He started with '4th of July, Asbury Park (Sandy)'. I'll never forget it. The whole place was dark. Bruce stood center stage, illuminated in a single spotlight, and started singing a cappella. One by one, the other members of the band, starting with David Sancious on piano, joined in. I was mesmerized; he completely blew us all away. What a showman. Who is this guy?"

Photographer Dennis Degnan captured the urgency of a Springsteen performance from Le Garage in the summer of 1974. His photos — used by permission with this story — show a sweat-drenched, scruffy Springsteen, clutching the mic as he belts out his songs.

Beadling's said his friend and fellow Long Beach Township lifeguard, Gary Goodell, financed the reopening of Le Garage in 1974.

Springsteen and his band were the revamped club's opening act, on June 21, 1974. They played both an early and late show that night.

Drummer Max Weinberg and keyboard player Roy Bittan had not yet joined the band; their first official performances with the band were at The Main Point in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania, in September. Original drummer Vini "Mad Dog" Lopez and Springsteen had parted ways in February 1974.

The version of the band that performed at Le Garage included drummer Ernest "Boom" Carter and keyboard player David Sancious, who in August would leave Springsteen's group to form the jazz-fusion group Tone.

"The lights were dimmed as we waited for the show to begin," Cohen Bludman wrote. "Bruce Springsteen, in all his grungy, unknown glory, his guitar slung across his hips, ambled out on center stage blanketed in a spotlight. He opened with the song was '4th of July, Asbury Park (Sandy).' That voice, as gritty as the sand between the rocks in Barnegat Light, that song, so Jersey shore soulful, that moment, that would become a memory to cherish. The crowd was spellbound and the ovation that followed was thunderous."

"Bruce was a skinny little guy with a beard from somewhere up north — despite his charisma and the great shows he put on for us, I didn't think much of it at the time. Little did I know," Beadling wrote.

The Boss wasn't the only famous musician to play at Le Garage: Renaissance, Procol Harum, Mannfred Man's Earth Band and Country Joe McDonald traveled to LBI to jam in the 50-by-150-foot hall.

Other bands remembered fondly by Le Garage regulars were Lothar and the Hand People, Nightwatch and Slim Pickens, a country rock group that opened for Springsteen at his appearances at Le Garage in June 1974.

Springsteen's third night at Le Garage, on June 23, 1974, was an unscheduled benefit for the club. After appearing at another two shows on June 22, Springsteen and band played again at Le Garage on June 23. Thanks as always to the indispensible Brucebase for the exact dates.

Bruce would return to the club again in July, shortly after playing at legendary Bottom Line in New York. Springsteen and band played at the converted garage again on July 16 and July 17, again performing two shows a night.

How did a former garage become a hip teen club and a cool concert venue?

Allen described the club's vibe and clientele in the Sept. 2, 1967 article, which ran under the heading, "The Teen Scene."

"While the band drums on, other lights pulse with the beat and make it almost impossible to stand still. It's not too difficult to pass inspection to get in — and the 450 to 500 young people who flock to Le Garage six nights a week play it cool and casual. Leading this season's fashion parade are oversized sweatshirts plastered with wisecrack sayings. And as for shoes, who needs them?"

There was no alcohol served in the club, which, the Press noted didn't have "anything stronger than soda."

A ticket for a July 17 performance by Bruce Springsteen at Le Garage on Long Beach Island.(Photo: Billy Smith Collection)

Quoted in the article, George Laputka said he and his partners had learned a big lesson after two summers of running a teen club.

"The biggest lesson we've learned," George Laputka told the Press, "is that you have to treat teenagers — no matter how young they are — with respect. They know good entertainment and they appreciate it."

A clothing store and coffee house were later added to the club complex following a $40,000 renovation, according to a 1969 Press story.

After performing “She Loves You” by the Beatles, guitarist Lee Scott Howard of British Invasion Years addressed the crowd. The British Invasion Years perform at the Light of Day Winterfest in 2017. FILE PHOTO